Altered Timeline
by Child of the Dragon
Summary: An alturnative look at the Dragonball Universe; A little girl got close to Vegeta and her whole world spiraled out of control.
1. Prologue

**BEFORE YOU READ ANY OF MY FICS, PLEASE NOTE:** This fic has at least one Author's note in it that I would love for you to read. It is located in my Bio area after my Rants section. I think it would be very wise of you to check that area out for, even if you don't give a rat's ass about my A/Ns, my Bio area has information on the postings of the next chapters of this fic so you can mark your calenders and then spend your time wisely if I don't update on time (which has yet to happen), as well as much more information I think is vital to you readers. New to and don't know what the hell I'm talking about? Scroll up until you're at the top of the page. See the great banner on your farest left? Below that it says Just In, below that it says Anime, and below even that it says Author: Child of the Dragon with the last 4 words being highlighed in blue. Click that and you'll be fine. Now, please heed my words; I will get very pissy with you if you do not because I choose to believe that you are not stupid.

Child of theDragon

**Altered Timeline**

**Book one: The Saga Begins**

**Prologue: The Day It Started**

She was not a purebred. Half of one and half of the other, she belonged to neither group, nor neither group she called her own. Smarter and graceful among one, stupid and arrogant among the other, she fit nowhere. And she didn't try to fit.

The Saiyans didn't see her as a threat. As far as their scouters could tell, she was of such weak blood she wasn't even worthy of being classified as a 3rd class fighter, the weakest of all Saiyan blood, and nowhere near passing the powerlevel of an elite. Why worry about such a small child who could do them no harm? Ah, but looks can be so deceiving...

The girl wiped sweat from her drenched face and shivered as a cool breeze washed over her body and rustled her jet-black hair. Even through it was summer, the nights that passed planet Vegeta were still cool and the mornings were chilly. She heaved a heavy sigh and leaned against a rock for support as she rested her tired muscles. A moment or so passed before she opened her eyes again and crawled back into her cave to retrieve an object out of what little belongings she had. She dug around in some piles of fur before finding her desired object, a carved wooden bowl. Again she crawled out of her small cave opening and in the early morning sunlight, made her way to the watering hole.

* * *

He stared at his reflection in the water for quite some time. Experimenting with how to shape his face differently by forming ripples in the water, he was too busy to notice much else. In fact, he didn't noticed much else. He didn't notice he wasn't alone or that he was being watched. His senses just couldn't detect that yet; and he hadn't brought his scouter with him. So the Saiyan boy, although strongest in his class, was left pretty vulnerable to attack.

She didn't disturb him. Instead she choose to wait. She sat quietly in the bushes and waited for him to move on. The girl had been sitting for over an hour now, and she began to grow inpatient with waiting. But still, because she didn't want to get involved, she waited. Not moving an inch, except to breath, she stared straight ahead thinking only of what she had to do when he had gone. Yet he was enjoying one of the very few moments in which he had anytime to himself; time to spend away from the ever praying graze of the society around him.

Without really noticing it, the girl began to study the boy before her. The sun basked him in a hoop of light giving his skin a golden tone to it, which made his hair seem darker. It was black, and stuck out in odd angles like most Saiyan hair, but there was a certain texture to it; it was soft and velvety almost. She leaned forward and realized she was so close to him she could reach out and touch his face if she wanted. Shifting her weight slightly, she lifted her hand.

Before he even had time to shriek, the Water Beast had already grabbed him around the waist and was pulling him underwater to what would be a watery grave. Unharmed, but shaken quite a bit, the girl stood up from the bushes and stared at where she had last seen the boy before he disappeared underwater. Fearing the beast would come back for her, she stepped quickly away and held herself trying to recover from what had happened. More then anything she wanted to run away, wanted to forget what she had seen, wanted to believe that she was helpless to save him. But she stayed; she couldn't shake the image and she knew what she could do.

The beast was the same one that she had to deal with everyday. It had been after her since she had begun living. Every other day it would steal her prey that she stalked by the water bank. It even had the nerve to scare off her prey when it wasn't hungry. Rare was the day when she didn't have to fight it in order to get a drink of water or take a bath. It was a nuisance to her and she had had just about enough of it. Saiyans could hold their breath for extended periods of time if given the proper gulp of air beforehand. But the boy hadn't had time to react before being pulled under.

She tore off her leather wrap and tossed it to the ground behind her. Taking a deep breath she ran and dived right into the water, swimming toward the center. The further down she swam, the murkier the water grew, but through the vibrations of the water, she could tell where the struggle for life was happening. The several ki blasts that were fired emulated the water, before dieing in an explosion, helped further light the way.

From what she could see through the murk, the boy was actually defending himself fairly well. he put up a remarkable struggle, and in the end, broke free by blasting an attack at the Beast's head. The boy was released and he quickly tried to surface for his air supply was running low.

She watched as his strokes became less and less powerful; he was going to drowned if he didn't get air soon. She pushed through the water and followed him. There wasn't time to wait for him to fall unconscious, it would be too dangerous for his life. Forsaking everything she was ever told about Saiyans, she grabbed his limp hand and began swimming to the top. But the battle wasn't over.

The beast hadn't been killed and now it swam after them with much more speed then they could ever hope to achieve in the water. One of it's tentacles wrapped around her ankle and pulled her down, another wrapped around her chest and threatened to squeeze the air from her lungs. Pulling the boy closer to her breast with one hand, she used her free hand to form a ball of energy and light. Once it was large enough, she pointed it at the beast's eye and brought forth all her hate and rage to fire the blast with enough extra force to plow through it's head and detonate inside the brain cavity. It's body let go, and the force of the explosion pushed the children up and into the crisp morning air above.

She landed on the ground with him landing, not long after, right on top of her. Coughing and gasping for breath, she pushed the boy off of her and rolled him onto his back. She pulled the limp body away from the lakes edge and leaned over him to se if he was breathing. Grumbling when he wasn't, she pulled him over her knee and hit his back several times until he coughed and spat up the water he had swallowed. Moaning, he tried to bring himself back to alertness but gave up and fell back into darkness, this time breathing.

She laid him down and set her head on his chest to allow herself time to think clearly. So many questions swam in her head, and to none of them did she know the answers. Why hadn't she let him drowned? Why did she even choose to wait for him, what had captivate her? Was she laying her out of her own true free will or was something else at work? Was this really about saving the boy, or was it about killing the Water Beast that had plagued her lifestyle for so long?

She sat up and began pulling the boy's soaked clothes off; if he stayed in the dampness of the garments in the cold air he would get sick and the last thing she wanted was to have to nurse him back to health and have him stick around longer then he had to. She found her fur warp and pulled it around him, making sure he was bundled up tightly. She then sat back and allowed herself to begin to dry in the sunlight, listening to the sounds of birds chirping somewhere in the distance.

The lake was pooling over with blood now and she rubbed her neck wondering what to do for cooking water. Sighing, she picked up her bowl and swung the Boy over her shoulder. She made her way back into the brush of the forest and began heading home.

**End Prologue!**

(This A/N remains because it's too improtant to move.)

Hey Guys! This here is the first fic I ever started writing after I found out what fanfiction was! I was gonna submit it to but before it was finished, the site died:sob: Rest in Peace my Namek Friends! Be warned, it tends to have a mind of its own when I don't pay attention to what my hands type. . :sigh: So you might see me changing it from time to time. But I think, for the time being, that this is a good introductory...

Oh and BTW, just so you understand, the Saiyans are obviously from another world, right? Right. So it would make sense for them to speak another language, right? Right. So in the next chapter, when you see words written in quotation marks like "this" it simply means that whoever is speaking is speaking in a language that we wouldn't understand. And if you see words like '_this_' it means that they are thinking or communicating telepathically. And the girl is speaking the Katkit Language (Kattunda), just so you know. But once she understands Vegeta and starts speaking the Saiyan language, the rule is reversed. "This" will symbolize Kattunda until she lands on earth where it returns to what it originally was. I know it may sound complicated, but it's not as complicated reading it as was for me to figure that all out...


	2. Saiyan Royalty

Alternate Timeline

Book one: The Saga Begins

Chapter one: Saiyan Royalty

He sat up mumbling something while rubbing his head. He hadn't regained all of his senses, but surly he had noticed he wasn't sitting in....well, wherever he was from. Looking around he asked, in a language I didn't understand unless he was just babbling, "Where am I?"

"As soon as you are capable of fending for yourself, which should be very soon, you may leave for your home. I won't save your life again so be careful were you tread in those woods," I say while setting a bowl of food in front of him. He jumped a bit once he saw I was standing next to him, but relaxed as his senses came back. He took the food and pulled it into his lap while I settled down to eat my own dinner. 

"Who are you?"

More talking with words I couldn't understand. Hence I ignored them. But he prodded, asking the same question with a little more frustration and slurring syllables together to form more words. 

I swallowed the food in my mouth and pressed a finger to his lips. "Eat," I said and I pointed to his bowl of food. "Eat." Then I pointed to the entrance to the cave. "Then leave."

He blinked at me a few times but gave me a serious look and leaned in close to my face. "If you can understand me, it's really important that you don't play games..."

"Eat," I repeated and tapped the edge of his bowl. "Eat, eat."

"Will you come with me? Will you come with me to the palace?"

I picked up the utensil used to scoop the food into the mouth and held some of it to his mouth. He shook his head and pulled it from my grasp to set it and the bowl on the ground. "Can you understand me?"

"Speak in my language or don't speak at all!"

He took hold of my hands and leaned forward to stare deep into my eyes, searching for something that could only be found there. As invaded as I felt having to be watched under his hard glare, I let him look while I looked deep into the confines of his soul. A whisper is what I began to hear while looking into those eyes of dark charcoal black. A light whisper of a voice talking to no one as it grew louder and louder. Words began to be heard, words I understood coming form his voice, but his voice did not speak. A feeling of airiness filled me, making me feel slightly drowsy and I wondered if he felt the same. 

'_........ she not understand?........is a Saiyan ......and she can speak, she's not just .............. must live with her, but ............ what language are they teaching .......?_'

'_You can hear me now_?' my mind whispers and he jolts. '_You can understand_?'

"How did-" '_How did you do that? Are you talking inside my head_!?'

'_I would think you are inside mine. You're the one who spoke first_.' He blinked and sat back down. The feeling of lightheadedness was gone. As he watched me, and I watched him, it became clear that the connection was lost. Remembering what I had been told about Saiyans, I turned my head away and put my attention back on my food. Maybe if I just shunned him long enough.......

But again the boy set aside food and took my hands to peer into my eyes again, this time I closed them. "I just want to understand you," he pleaded.

"The mind is a private place," I reply. "You don't just jump into people's thoughts! What if I don't want you in there?"

"You seemed to welcome me when I was already inside."

"But you-" I stopped short and opened my eyes. "I can understand you."

"And I can understand you. Why did you pretend you couldn't speak to me?" He set upon his face a rather mean look and held my wrists a little tighter. 

"I have reasons," I lied. "Maybe I don't want you here."

"Your the one who brought me here in the first place. I wouldn't have come here had you not brought me."

"And what was I suppose to do? Leave you out there in the wild to die? From hypothermia or an animal attack? Is that what you want, to die?"

"No!"

"Then shut up and eat your food! And when you're done, you can leave."

He was silent a moment and I could feel him glaring at me as I broke my wrists from his hold and turned my back to him. "I think I don't like you."

"I think, I really don't care," I reply. 

"Do you even know who I am?"

"No, and I couldn't care less what your name is."

"How dare you speak that way to me! I am Prince Vegeta, and for you to be so disrespectful-"

"A prince are you?" I interrupt. "Well, you are no longer in the safety of your sheltered walls Prince Vegeta," I state coldly, turning to look at him once more. "Mind you, you're in my world now and if you don't shut up, I'll throw you out to the beasts right now." He shook with anger under these words and I half expected him to get up and leave. '_Why didn't he_?' I asked myself. '_What is trying to prove_?'

"If I wasn't in debt to you," he said with a surprisingly calm voice, "I would slaughter you right now." At his sides, his fists were clinched tightly so that blood was beginning to drizzle from them.

"Debt? I don't care for any debt. Leave now or challenge me if you wish; I'm stronger then you anyway."

"You can't be!"

"Prove it!"

We stood face to face now, him being slightly taller then me since he was standing on my bed. For a moment all stood still as we faced off against each other, measuring the other's fury and strength. Then I turned and marched to the entrance to the cave I had made my home in. "After the prince," I said giving a little bow as he approached.

He growled and twisted his face into a sneer. "Ladies first," he replied. I held my head high and marched defiantly out into the open of the forest surrounding the cave, showing I wasn't afraid to turn my back on him. Once he had followed, we stood across from each other and each took fighting positions. The stand off continued. 

He charged and swung a fist at me which was easy to side step. But while my eyes were distracted on watching the fist that was now gliding past in front of me, his other hand swung out form his side and hit my face, pushing me down with him. As soon as we hit the ground, he rolled on top of me and began a onslaught of punches upon my head and upper torso. Blindly, I caught his shoulders with my free hands and hoisted him over my head with my legs. The counter attack didn't phase him. 

The fight continued on like this, wrestling about the dusty ground as the both of us struggled to gain the upper hand again after losing it to the other. Punches and kicks were blurred in frenzies of them, neck holds and straddles were all broken free of with determined wiggling, and through all the small ki blasts that were shot, I began to see something: I was really enjoying the fight. Never before had I had the privilege to have a sparring partner; all my training, nearly all my life, was spent alone in the woods. And to have another being grapple with me was a rush. 

The fight had started out serious enough, but as we fought it began to take on a less life-threatening feel; neither of us were aiming to actually kill the other now, we just tested the others strength and kept on our toes so as no to far under the mercy of the other.

Rain began to fall and for a moment we stopped; I hadn't even noticed the sky darkening. The water came down hard. In mere seconds the ground was soggy, wet, and muddy. Our feet sunk deep into the ground if we stayed in place too long. "Wanna keep going?" I asked over a loud crack of thunder.

Vegeta took a fighting position as a smirk slipped onto his face. "It's just water," he replied. 

Another crack of thunder and a flash of lighting interrupted whatever I was going to say. One of the huge trees of the Vijedi forest caught flame and was quickly extinguished under the downpour, but not before cracking and topping over. I had grabbed Vegeta's hand and pulled him to the side just before it landed at our feet. Wiping mud from my face, I helped Vegeta up and the two of us took off running; neither of us needed to be told that this storm held more deadly secrets then just water. Back in the safety of the cave I called home, we both huddled around the fire to get warm. 

"So I guess you're staying for the night then," I said as the flames crackled and danced. Vegeta didn't answer; he only stared into the flames. "Are you hungry?" I ask holding out his bowl of food to him.

"That's twice now," he replied still looking at the flames. "You've saved my life two times in one day."

"It was just my natural reaction to the circumstances. Think nothing more of it then an impulse," I reply. 

"Two times? No, I couldn't. It would be against the law. I am truly in your debt now and fate has bonded us. I must return to the kingdom, you must come with me."

"I told you already, I do not care for anything you might need to give me. Your life means nothing to me, I didn't even mean to save it."

"Well, what will you do once I leave?"

"Stay here and continue living, forgetting that you exist, and training by myself," I say.

"By yourself?" Vegeta repeats. "You mean you're all alone out here, with nobody else? Where are your parents? Why aren't they here with you?"

"They're dead."

There was a silence that followed that last line. Vegeta then bowed his head and muttered, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I get by well enough without them," I state coolly.

"My mother died when I was a little baby. I hardly remember her at all. All I have now is my father. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him." Another moment of silence passed over us before Prince Vegeta broke it with, "What's your name?"

"I don't have one," I state looking into his eyes to show I was telling the truth. "My mother never named me before she died."

"And your father? Where was he?"

"He died a week before I was born. I don't even know who he was. And I never knew my mother's name, otherwise I might've taken that."

"How long have you been alone?"

"Two, maybe three years now," I reply pulling up my legs. 

"And why didn't you come join the rest of civilization? There's an entire city not far from here, you could've found someone to take you in."

"And walk the same path my father did? He was killed in a brutal fight! Slaughtered on some 'mission!' That's why my mother kept me out here, away from people like you. She didn't want me to die; she had already lost her husband to the torments of Saiyan life and she wasn't about to lose her only child!"

"That's why you don't want to go to the palace with me? Because you're afraid of dying?"

I hesitated. I had been afraid of the Saiyans, but how could that be expressed convincingly now? Here I sat with one after saving his life and sharing my food. I was open with him and some of my past. I had even built my home here because the Saiyan village was close by, incase I had ever decided to join them. It felt pointless to fight going with the prince now; he needed to pay me back for saving him and the chains that had locked me away from Saiyans were long broken. 

"Well?"

"Maybe I will go with you," I reply.

He smiled. "Into the city? All the way up to the palace? Into the depths of the palace and to my father's thrown?" he asked teasingly.

"And I should follow you into death and beyond it, wherever you may go there I will be beside you," I responded in the same teasing way. 

"So when can we leave?" he asked looking to the door. 

"Whenever the weather clears, I guess," I reply crawling to the entrance and peeking out. "It seems that may be sooner then I originally thought." Outside the storm had already stopped and the last droplets of water were gliding off the leafs of trees to fall into puddles which sparkled under the bright rays of the sun that shone through the dense forest. "The ground is muddy, but the sky is clear now."

"Mud won't hurt anyone; lets go," Vegeta replied crawling past me into the sunlight. "High noon already? I didn't think that much time had passed!"

"Something wrong?" I ask following behind him as he headed straight into the woods. 

"Well, no; but I've been gone too long. My father surly knows that I left again. He'll be furious and I'm surprised he doesn't have the whole Elite Army out here looking for me."

"You father doesn't like you out on your own?"

The prince shook his head. "No, he worries himself senseless. Every time I'm alone."

"Why is that?" I asked.

Vegeta shrugged. "He never tells me why, I just can't go out by myself. I always have to be under the watchful gaze of one guard or another. It drives me insane! I just want to get way, be left alone. It was never like this a year before; I could do anything I wanted and now I can hardly leave the palace. It's like I'm a fragile glass sculpture he's afraid will break or something. Like I'm something of great value to him."

"But you are something of great value to him; you're his son."

"And?"

"And he must care about you. If he didn't, then why would he throw everyone out to look for you?" I stop and put my fists on my hips. "You're not trying to run away from him are you?"

The prince turned around swiftly and looked angry. "Of course not! I care a great deal for my father! And not only that, but I have responsibilities to uphold and duties to fulfill. I can't afford to run away."

"Then why do you leave?"

"I told you, I'm watched constantly. I have guards outside my door every night; a body guard following me wherever I go. I'm always drilled, trained, held captive. The only alone time I get is when I leave like this. And I always come back, always. He just won't loosen up." He turned and started walking again and I jogged to catch up.

"Why don't you talk to him then?"

"Tried it already. He thinks I'm too young to understand."

I threw my hands behind my head. "Wow. I guess no matter which way you look at it life must really suck."

"And what, may I ask, is wrong with yours?"

"Your life has too many people watching; my life has no one there. I do everything on my own; no one to tell me how, no one to show me what went wrong, no one to compliment me when I do a good job. I lay in bed at night listening to the sound of my own breath and feel myself falling into madness because no matter what I tell myself it all boils down to the fact that I'm laying there alone-"

"Okay! I get it! Your life bites too."

There was a silent moment between us as we walked. The prince was thinking something over in his mind, a question perhaps. He would look at me then away again because I was studying him. "If you live alone," he blurted while stopping, "then you must have a lot of free time. So why didn't you give yourself a name?"

I blink. That wasn't a question I was expecting. "Was there a point for me to have a name if there was never anyone to call me by it?" I ask. The prince shrugged.

"But you need a name now don't you? I can't just call you girl, it doesn't feel right. Didn't you ever think of it once?"

"Maybe, shortly after my mother's death. But no, not really. She just called me Child or Baby. She never had a real name for me."

"Would you mind if I named you?" he asked.

I smile and reply with, "that depends, Prince Vegeta. What would you call me?" 

"I would call you-" 

"Hey! There he is!"

*End Chapter 1*


	3. Welcome to the World of the Saiyans

Alternate Timeline

Book one: The Saga Begins

Chapter Two: Welcome to the World of Saiyans

"Prince Vegeta!" a voice called from behind and the boy before me turned to investigate. A Saiyan about 18-17 years of age came running up looking relieved to know the Prince was alive. "Prince Vegeta," he said, "what are you doing out here? And who is she?"

"Not now Nappa," the boy growled. "I'm tired. I want to go home and rest. And she's coming with."

There was a sudden change in Vegeta; he hadn't acted like this around me. The tone in his voice was harsh, his posture changed altogether. He wrapped his tail around his waist, crossed his arms, stuck out his chest, narrowed his eyes into an icy glare, and frowned his lips. He looked meaner, formidable.

Nappa cast a questioning glance at me, but replied, "Yes, Prince Vegeta," and turned to lead the way back. "Raditz! We found him!" called Nappa to another Saiyan scouting the area. This one was a boy, no more then a few years older then either Vegeta or I, 10-9 years old.

Raditz was tall, taller then me at least, about twice my size. He wore the same Saiyan armor that they all wore and tightly pulled fabric covered his body. A device clung to the left side of his face with a glass that reached over his left eye. Around his right arm was a golden band that hung just loose enough that he would have to push it back up every so now and again. His hair, which was thrown every which way, reached to just below his butt.

All three Saiyans had jet-black hair that did whatever it pleased, stuck out in any direction or angle. Unlike my hair, which just hung down to my shoulders; I self-consciously tugged at it. Would they notice I was different? My hair was jet black as well, but held white streaks. Surely they must. I shied away behind Vegeta hoping he wouldn't let them question me.

"What do we have here?" Raditz asked bending over to look at me and holding his armband in place. "Well I'll be damned. So this is why the prince is always running off; it's for this pretty little pet he's got here."

I let go of Vegeta's arm and smacked Raditz hard across the face. "I AM NOT A PET!" I wasn't entirely sure of what he meant, but the way he carried on and the way he said it was enough to tell me I should be insulted.

Vegeta grabbed my wrist to keep me from attacking further. "Raditz," the prince growled at the older Saiyan boy as he pulled himself up, "You say something like that again and I won't hold her back!" Nappa was rolling on the floor with laughter the whole time.

"Did you see the look on his face? Did you see him? His eyes were THIS BIG when she attacked him! Oh, by the king's name, he was asking for that! Oh he was! Oh, he was....."

"Shut up Nappa," hissed Vegeta as he pulled me away toward the direction we had been walking. Nappa had to smother laughter by biting his lower lip and holding his sides, but he got up and followed behind us with Raditz shuffling along in the very back. The boy's tail was wrapped around his leg and his left cheek was now red and swollen. Walking backwards, I trusted that Vegeta would not lead me into any danger, I stared fiercely at him. Every time he looked up he would see me and scuttled to hide behind Nappa. The memory of that sting wasn't going anywhere fast.

"This is it," Vegeta said while stopping. I turned around and looked up, wide-eyed. It wasn't the very first time I had seen a Saiyan city, but it was the closest I had ever been. A shiver ran down my spine and I impulsively wanted to turn and run back; Vegeta's hand held me in place and his fierce expression vanquished the idea. Nothing bad could happen to me while near him. Right?

It was almost like an over turned bowel with a lot of tall buildings sticking out. They all looked about the same color; the dust was what gave a burnt-orange coloring to it, creating more interest then when the entire thing had stood newly built. Each had a random number of circular windows that were either red, or purple.

Vegeta pressed a button and the large gates that held out any wild intruders swung open. The prince led us through the streets. Few Saiyans wandered about 'outside' their homes, most stayed inside playing music, talking and laughing. Vegeta took little notice of anyone around him; he just concentrated on getting wherever it was he was heading. The destination came in sight, a rather large building and one that looked of high importance. It was nearly pure white with gold accents running like an outline for it. Its windows had the usual red and purple, but they were richer in color and along with them were blue and green windows. Tall stained glass ones as well.

Vegeta pushed a button and the doors swung open. I jumped back as far as I could but the Saiyan boy still holding my hand pulled me through the doorway and through a few more halls before stopping at another set of large doors. He finally let me go and turned to face Nappa and Raditz. "Listen, she'll be staying here in the palace with me so while I'm talking with my father, I expect you two to prepare a bath and bedroom for her. Make sure the bedroom in near mine! Pull out a complete wardrobe for her and make sure there is a meal prepared if she gets hungry, understand?"

"Yes Prince Vegeta," the two boys replied. They turned and left without saying anything more.

I jumped again when Vegeta opened the doors behind me and pulled me in through them again. He walked up a red carpet to the thrown, where the king was already up and running towards him. In an instant, Vegeta was swept into his father's arms and pressed closely to the man's chest. I was left to stand awkwardly out in the open, with no one to shy away behind and surrounded by Saiyans who stood unnaturally still, glaring down at me like I was something that didn't belong. Which I was with my torn leather clothes, dusty bare legs and arms, no armor, no scouter, no boots or gloves or even the tight clothe that they wore. My only comfort came form knowing that Vegeta looked almost exactly like me.

"Vegeta, you gave me such a scare! What were you thinking, running off like that?" asked the king letting go of his son to look him in the face. The prince shrugged. "Well, don't do it again, okay?" Vegeta still didn't answer his father. "Listen to me Vegeta, this is very important: Don't go off on your very own. There's a good reason I send Nappa with you everywhere and you can't just keep ditching him whenever you feel like it-"

"But do I always have to have someone watching over me? You never used to worry about me before, in fact it was the exact opposite a few years ago! You'd freak out if I didn't want to go somewhere by myself! Why the sudden change? I want to know, tell me now what's going on!"

"You wouldn't understand Vegeta. It doesn't concern you."

"It must concern me in some way, other wise why would you be going through all this trouble to know what I'm doing, where I am all the time!?"

"Vegeta..."

"And if I don't understand, then make me understand!! As a matter of fact, I'll bet you anything I'd understand it and you just don't want to tell me; is that it? Huh? What's so top secret you can't tell me anymore? You use to be able to tell me everything, but now all you do is go to those boring old meetings with that stupid Frieza guy-"

"VEGETA, THAT'S ENOUGH!!!" the king said standing up to his full height and looking down on his son sternly. The prince stared back fiercely, trembling slightly from rage; there was going to be a fight.

"Vegeta," I said sounding very meek. "I'm a little hungry." Okay, so that was a flat out lie, but at least it got the attention of the feuding Saiyans to focus on something other then the topic at hand.

"Who is this?" asked the king.

The prince stared at me a moment then turned back to his father and said, "her name is Tyme. I met her while I was out. She.....she saved my life from a water beast out in the woods."

The king looked at Vegeta as if to say, 'See? Wasn't I right about you being on your own?' but he didn't address it fully and instead said, "well Tyme, it seems that I am in your debt for saving my son's life-"

"It's my debt," Vegeta mumbled. "I can pay it off. Besides, I want her to stay here with me."

"She's not a pet Vegeta, you can't just keep her as one," the king said patting his son's head. "If she wants to leave then we can't stop her. But you are welcome to stay as long as you like, Tyme. If there is anyway we can possibly repay you-"

"Thank you, King of Saiyans," I say, using what manners my mother had taught me and curtsying before him. "But, I seek no favors in return for saving the prince's life. It was but reaction to the situation. I didn't mean it, really. If you truly insist on repaying me, a meal is all I require."

"And then what?" Vegeta said. "You're just gonna go back to living in that old, smelly cave all by yourself? Why don't you want to stay here? With people? You get lonely, don't you?"

"I do. But truly Prince Vegeta, it's nothing you should worry about."

"Well, I do! What's so special about that cave anyways? And why do you hate Saiyans so much? You think we carry some disease or something? We don't, you know! We just-"

"You're cold-hearted killers!!" I shouted, and instantly wished I hadn't. There was a long awkward silence; I wanted to run away so bad my knees shook, I could feel my whole body trembling. Every Saiyan was staring at me, every last one. What was I to do now?

"So why did you save my son then?"

"Be-because-" I stuttered. "I didn't know who he was! He was just a boy to me; an innocent little boy who didn't deserve to die! I just saved him, that's all. I didn't- I don't want- I don't need-"

Vegeta began laughing. I stopped and stared at him. What was going on inside that mind of his; was he hitting an early puberty? So many frickin' mood swings in one day. "I got you good this time father, didn't I?" he said over his giggles. "You really believed everything this girl told you, didn't you? Everything I said? Tyme, stop acting now, it's okay, the joke is over."

I forced myself to laugh along with him. I was still so confused, but the king was laughing a little too and petting his son's head so there was something going on that Vegeta had control over.

"I met her in the woods, yes," Vegeta began to explain. "But she didn't really save my life so there's no real debt to pay. However, we had such a good time playing I asked her to come back to the palace with me and stay here. It's still okay if she stays, right father?"

"Well, again, you can't keep her as a pet. But yes, if it's a playmate you want Vegeta, I see no harm in granting that wish. As long as you stay inside the palace walls."

"City," Vegeta bargained. "And I promise I'll never venture outside of it ever again."

"Okay," the king replied slowly. "But the minute you get into any unnecessary trouble, you'll be restricted to the palace, agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Good. Go play now, I have some things I need to take care of." He petted his son's head one last time and kissed his forehead before turning him to face me and pushing him a bit. Vegeta took my hand and led me out of the room at an almost run, stopping briefly at the door and the half skipping down the hall with me in tow.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Where do you want to go, we've got the whole city to explore!" he said letting go of my hand. "Are you still hungry? I'll race you to the palace kitchens!" And he took off down the hall at full fledge speed. I ran after him wondering about this boy. There was so much to think about. But, for the moment, I put my thoughts on hold. I could examine them later at a less fast-pace time. For now, it was probably better just to play along with Vegeta and have fun while doing it.

End Chapter 2!


	4. Day in the Life

**Alternate Timeline**

**Book one: The Saga Begins**

**Chapter 3: Day in the life...**

"Why'd you lie to your dad?" I asked. "About you being in debt to me? I thought you said it was against the law."

"It is," Vegeta replied, walking along a wall. "But only if I don't pay you back. And I will, some day. And I didn't really _lie_ to my father, I told him I was in debt to you, right?"

"Yeah, so? You then told him it was all a joke and that there was no debt."

"Well, he knows that I owe you my life, but he doesn't think that I do, so it's okay. And besides, I lied for both of you. "

"What?" I asked.

Vegeta stopped walking and sighed. "I told him the truth first because I didn't want to lie to him; so he knows the truth. Then I twisted the truth so that he couldn't worry about the debt being repaid because he doesn't need things like that to worry about. And I also 'lied' because you didn't want to have to worry about the debt as well. See? Now no one has to worry but me, and I promise to pay you back."

"But what if I leave? Your father said you couldn't keep me here forever; that if I decided to move on, you couldn't tell me not to."

"I know. But I could follow you. I'm a prince, I can go wherever I want."

"When you're being watched."

"And I'll be watched by you."

Wow, Vegeta was good. He had given all of this a lot of thought and he was right about everything. There was just no arguing with what he had to say.

"Teach me that language you were speaking," Vegeta said as he dropped off the wall. "That one I couldn't understand."

"Katkritten?" I said. "The language my mother taught me?"

"Yeah, I wanna speak it too. The scouters, they usually are able to translate languages into the Saiyan tongue, but you were actually speaking it before you started speaking Saiyan."

"Okay," I said leaning against the wall. "I'll try..."

I went on to explain as much of the language as I knew. We started with basic this-word-in-Katkit-means-this-in-Saiyan translations, and Vegeta quickly drilled them into his memory. He asked what certain Saiyan words meant and I gave him answers if I could for some words, like 'father' for example, just weren't in the Katkritten dictionary. And some words in Katkit couldn't be translated into Saiyan either. By the end of the lesson, Vegeta could speak Katkit, but he wouldn't pass for a native.

"Let's make it our secret language!" he said gleefully once he had gracefully talked himself through a couple of sentences. "It'll be just for me and you to speak to each other!"

"But won't the scouters translate it?" I asked.

"Most of the scouters know of it already. But they can't translate anything if they can't hear it so we'll just speak really softly," Vegeta replied.

"We'll look like mates."

"Then we'll look like mates! C'mon Tyme, I wanna secret language." Vegeta put on a pouty face and I got the feeling that because of his ability to shift gears so quickly he usually ended up getting everything he wanted.

"One thing," I said, poking his cheek. "Explain to me why you acted so mean when Nappa and Raditz found us. It wasn't like you."

"Actually it was," Vegeta replied. "People are used to me being commanding and demanding. It's even what my elders expect from me. If I was like this all the time, nothing would get done when I become king because no one would take me seriously."

"So then why act like this at all?"

"Well, I'm not a king yet, am I?"

"And when you become one...?"

Vegeta didn't answer right away. He got up and started walking back toward the palace. "It's getting late," he finally replied. "I think we should head back now, I don't want my father to think something has happened to me." He turned around and grinned. "Or that something is happening _between_ us."

"You're mental," I stated, getting up.

"But I'm right. Look, the sun is almost down completely. Soon it will be dark. And it's predicted that a full moon will appear tonight. It's illegal for lower level Saiyans to be out tonight. All the freaks are going to come out and do rituals and stuff. The Elites will be all over the place, patrolling and everything. It'll be better if we aren't-"

"What do you mean by 'freaks,' Vegeta?"

"You know, the wackos that transform every full moon and all because they want to. The Low Levels that can't control themselves because they are weak an all. Those freaks." He spoke like this was common knowledge, like this was something everyone knew about, no matter where you came from.

"My mother," I said coolly, raising myself up and looking down on him from atop my nose, "Was no Freak, Prince Vegeta. She was a good woman. And she _did_ have control of _all_ her powers, in and out of transformation."

Vegeta just stared back, as though trying to comprehend this, or maybe just filing it all away as some random information about me. "Hmp," He finally replied and turned around to again resume our walk back to the palace. "I didn't know that about your mother," he said lowly so that only I could hear. "I'm sorry."

I didn't say anything back. Just accepted his apology and moved on.

* * *

"This will be your room," Nappa said as the door swished open. "Vegeta's is right down the hall. And mine is across from it. If you need anything during the night, you are to come to me, understand? Do not wake the prince while he's sleeping, I will attend to what you need as quickly as possible."

"Thank you," I said. "But I don't think I'll need anything at all."

Nappa smiled and shook his head. "You'll need clothes before you can say that, but Raditz is attending to it. Lights go out at nine." He left then, leaving me to explore the elaborate bedroom.

The room was big, huge in fact, containing more room then I would ever need. In the far corner was a large bed, neatly made with no wrinkles on the beautiful matching silk covers in site. The floor itself was made of fine dark colored plush carpeting. Next to the bed were gracefully hanging drapes and upon investigating them further I found they opened to a large window which in turn opened to a large balcony that overlooked the city surrounding the palace. "No wonder Mama loved it here," I breathed, looking up into the sky to see the brightest full moon ever. "It's gorgeous."

A siren went off right above the palace just then and my scream of surprise was lost underneath it and the curtains that fell around me as I stumbled back into them. I thought I heard Vegeta calling my name, but it wasn't until I felt someone pulling me upright that I became aware someone else had entered the room. The siren suddenly stopped and Vegeta's face popped up in front to mine. "Hey," he said casually.

"What happened, what was that noise?" I asked. Vegeta pushed the curtains off of me and wrapped his arms around my trembling body.

"The alarm," He said, still unshaken by any of the events. "Just leave it Raditz, the maids will get to it later."

I looked around and saw the second older boy who had been with Nappa on the hunt to find Vegeta earlier that day. He stood with the curtains in his hands and had been trying to rehang them when Vegeta told him to stop; the window behind him was now closed. He looked throughly confused. "But sire," he started. "The moon is-"

"I know where the moon is and I know in what shape it's in!" Vegeta snapped. "We'll handle it. But you need to leave. Go now, stand outside the door." Raditz did as he was told, stopping by the bed to lay something on top of it, then bowed out. "Are you okay?"

My tail was ten times the size it had been when I first stepped outside, I couldn't stop myself from trembling, the only one who was supporting my weight was Vegeta as my knees were about to buckle underneath me, and I had a good deal of adrenaline rushing through my veins as my body began the whole Fight-or-Flight check-up routine; I was anything but okay. But I nodded a few times and squeaked out, "Y-yeah, I am f-fine."

Vegeta helped me to the bed where I sat down and began rocking back and forth to try and calm my nerves. "The alarm for what?" I asked when I didn't feel so jittery anymore.

"The moon," Vegeta replied, looking up at me from his seat on the floor with large dark eyes. "What did you think it was an alarm for?"

"My attempted runaway," I replied sarcastically and he giggled.

"I wouldn't have been able to hear it even if that was the case," he said pointing to the window. "Sound proof glass. No sounds get in and no sounds get out. For the exact reason you just learned first hand. Every night, all night for seven nights, every eight years. I guess this is the first time you ever heard the alarm, huh? Mine too. Father said it was really loud, but I didn't think it'd be that loud. I was coming in to say goodnight when it went off. Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"Yes."

The prince got up and hugged me again. "You know my room is right next to yours so if you need anything you'll come and get me, right?"

"Nappa said I wasn't to disturb you."

"Nappa is being possessive because Father got mad at him and Raditz for leaving me unguarded. I'm the higher ranking Saiyan anyways, so if I say it's okay, then it's okay. He'll just have to cope. Goodnight Tyme."

"Goodnight Vegeta," I replied as he slipped out the door. I looked once at the window and the fading sunlight that was slowly being taken over by the silver moonlight pour into the room over the crumpled drapes and sighed. It wasn't home, but it would have to do.

* * *

I opened my eyes and looked up at the ceiling high above me. I halfway expected to see the walls of my old cave home, the early morning sunlight dancing across it. Instead I found myself wrapped up the the comfortable sheets and pillows from the previous evening, and nearly no natural light what-so-ever in the room. There was something at the foot of the bed that was giving off a low dim light, but that was it. I looked over at the window and saw that the curtains had been rehung. I couldn't place my feelings on relief for being in the palace and none of the events being some wild dream I had made up, or disappointment.

I heard a whispering beside my head and sat up with a start. I thought it was the light whispering at first, but that was impossible. The next scenario would be that there was someone else in the room, but once my eyes had adjusted they told me that no one was there along with my other senses, which were working to their limits to produce a sound or smell or even something wrong with the taste of the air, but there was nothing. I relaxed back into the pillows, scolding myself for getting worked up over nothing my first night away from home.

'_....be here........out....don't..........wanna.....me.....out....._'

I sat up again, this time more slowly. There was the whispering again, only this time its was loud enough to make out words. I listened, as hard as I could and tried to put together the sentences that were being whispered. The voice faded in and out of hearing range, and I leaned in the direction I thought it was coming from. After a few moments, I concluded that it must've been a child for it was crying for it's parent. I push the sheets off and went to investigate, following nothing but a feeling in my gut as to where this child may be.

The halls of the palace were all deserted, not a soul in site. Everyone was inside their rooms, sleeping peacefully. I soon found myself at the front doors to the palace, which were being guarded by two large Saiyans.

"Halt, and be known," one chanted as I approached. "Only Elites beyond this point little lady. There's a full moon out, you know."

"I do," I replied innocently. "Just out for a stroll; couldn't sleep and all."

The Saiyan nodded, finding my answer legit. I continued walking down the hall and around a corner. Once outta sight, I leaned against the wall and pondered what to do. The child was through those doors, outside the palace, and if I wanted to find him I was going to have to get the guards away long enough for me to slip past. I knew of at least one way for me to do that, but it wouldn't be the easiest way.

It occurred to me that I could've woken Nappa and asked him to escourt me out of the palace, he was an Elite after all, but I didn't think that he would be to thrilled about going on a wild hunt over a child's voice that was ranting inside my head. So instead, I began to gather my energy and concentration into a feat that I had not become all that usual with and preyed that I wouldn't get anyone killed in the process of my practicing it.

I astro-projected myself down the hall I have just walked through on the other side of the two Saiyan guards.

I shot a ball of energy at the ground which created a loud explosion and a good enough diversion for my two guards to leave their post to check out. My astro-self vanished in the smoke before they could see, and tumbled right into my regular body, knocking it from it's concentrated sleep. It was much like waking up from death.

Wasting no time, I rounded the corner and all but flew to the front doors where I slipped out with the 5 seconds of blaring siren being the only sign that I had passed through. I wasted no time running as far away as I possibly could from the source of that obnoxious noise.

When I finally did stop running, I found myself in a room filled with dome-shaped, pods-like things. From the sound of the crying in one of them, I was pretty sure I had found my crying child too.

**End Chapter 3!**


	5. Baby in the Room

**Alternate Timeline**

**Book one: The Saga Begins**

**Chapter 4: The baby in the room**

Inside one pod a boy was crying loudly, though it was muted through the glass. The others slept through rather peacefully, but for some reason this on refused to settle. "Hello," I whisper over the glass. He doesn't seem to hear me so I tap once and quickly and wave at him to get his attention. "Hi little one."

_'Who are you?'_ his mind spoke to me._ 'You're a new face.'_

"My name is Tyme," I say. "What about you, what's your name?"

_'She makes sounds too...'_

"Of course I make sounds, it's called talking. Don't you talk yet?"

He began to fuss again and then it dawned on me that he couldn't talk. Guess I learned early for my age...or he was just dimwitted. _'My name is Tyme,_' I throw my thoughts to him and he stops his fit to look up at me. _'What's your's?'_

'_I understood you,' he said. 'Do you understand me?_'

'_In a way, yeah I guess so_,' I replied. '_Are you ever going to answer and give me your name or should I make one up?_'

'_You just as well may_,' he said in reponse. '_I don't know my name, though there is is certain sound I hear a lot when people make sounds around me. But I never bothered to remember it._'

I thought for a moment. There was one name that popped right into my mind and once it was there, it refused to go away. I didn't personally know anyone with the name, and Mama never mentioned anything about it, but I got the feeling it was the type of name a great hero would branish in all his shining glory. In Katkritten it ment something along the lines of "savior" or "angel." The baby didn't look like he'd be saving the lives of anyone soon, but he did look like a sweet little chirub.

'_How about Goku, is that an okay name?_'

He laughed. '_I like that name very much. Goku I am_.'

'_Why were you crying so loudly?_' I ask, leaning against the glass.

'_I don't like sleeping here, alone. I see things, unpleasent things when I sleep. I want my mommy to hold me again, like when I first saw her. But nobody can understand me, excpt for you. Will you take me to her?_'

I looked back and felt my heart go out to him. But how was I to help him? '_What does your mother look like?_'

'_She had dark hair; and dark eyes too_,' Goku described. I could see his mental recollection of his mother forming in his mind. I could see she was sick, sick beyond healing that I knew of. My own mother had looked the same way before she passed away.

Pale face that was drained of all the color in the world even bone white, deep hallow eyes that could barely see the world anymore. But that wasn't the worst of it. No, what really struck you, if you'd ever been in that position, was that she was smiling. Smiling because she knew that she was holding in her hands her child, her own flesh and blood. And you can see that she loves you, but you know she won't be there; in a few more minutes she'll be gone.

'_Tyme, are you okay?_'

I could feel tears running down my cheeks and I didn't bother to wipe them away. The image was too powerful, reminded me to much of my own mother and how much I missed and longed for her. Hearing Goku's thoughts jolted me back and I despreatly tried to wipe them away now with the back of my hand. '_Honey, I don't think you'll ever see your mother again_.'

'_What do you mean?_'

I explained as gentily as I could what I had watched as my own mother died, how similure it felt. I had to explain what death was to the little boy too and that wasn't easy either as all I had to go on was what little Mama had said before she passed on. '_I'm sorry honey_,' was all I could think to say when I was done.

'_What do I do then?_'

I looked down to see a pad with several large buttons and a couple hundred small buttons alined on it. I wonder what would've happened if I had just left him there and walked away, but knowing him now that wasn't an option. Flicking my wrist as a subconsciences way of dismissing my unease, I pressed down on a green button and the pod that Goku was laying under split and pulled apart. I took the fussing baby in my arms and held him close to my chest. '_I'll take care of you, baby_,' I said to him. '_You hugery?_'

Outside the sun was beginning to rise. This ment the moon would be sinking below the moutians in the distance and it would be safe for Saiyans to wander the streets freely again. This made me slightly nervous, but what else was there for me to do? Facing the exit, I reatched up and pushed the button that would open the door.

"Tyme?"

End Chapter 4!


	6. Tyrant and Savior

**Alternate Timeline**

**Book one: The Saga Begins**

**Chapter 5: Tyrant and Savior**

Raditz stood just outside the door. It was one of those moments where time seemed to stand still as we both stupidly stared at each other.

"What are you doing here?" he finally asked, breaking the silence.

_Following voices in my head_ didn't seem like the best excuse to give but I couldn't think of anything better. "Why is that any of your business?"

"Well, it's not but I thought I'd..." his voice trailed as he looked down. Then his eyes quickly snapped back up to me. "What are you doing with my little brother?"

I looked down at Goku and back up at Raditz. "Your...brother?"

"Yeah, my brother! The one you've got there in your hands! You can't just take him away, who gave you permission to do so?" He held out his hands and gently picked Goku from my arms. "C'mere Kakarot, big brother Raditz will protect you from the insane lady..."

"You should learn to shut your mouth before I work up the nerve to kick you in the balls," I said to him as he began to make faces at the giggling little Saiyan in his hands.

'_Yay! It's the Klutz!_' Goku's mind called to me. '_The one that falls over!_'

"See?" Raditz said triumphantly. "Kakarot knows who his brother is!" I nearly fell over laughing. Sure Raditz, he knows who you are alright. "Yeah, you tell her who I am! I'm Big Brother Raditz! And you're Baby Brother Kakarot! That's right! You and I are related! We're brothers Kakarot, forever and always!"

'_That's the sound there_,' Goku said throwing a glance at me. '_Kaakaa...root...that sound. That's what everyone says..._'

"Raditz, I don't think he likes to be called Kakarot."

The Saiyan boy turned to me. "Shut up! He loves being called Kakarot! That's his name, isn't it?"

"Just because it's his name doesn't mean that he likes it! It's an ugly name too! Who gave him such a crappy name?"

"OUR MOTHER NAMED HIM!"

Goku began to cry. Raditz stopped his fight with me and turned his undivided attention to his younger sibling, rocking him and soothing him his fussing. For a moment, I couldn't believe this was the same Raditz I had met yesterday. The one I had met was a jerk and an idiot. This one was responsible and caring; he was worried for his brother and looking out for him.

"Our mother," Raditz stated more calmly when Goku settled. He didn't look up but I could see the gloss over his eyes. "She died shortly after giving birth to him. They couldn't revive her. Her last words were...and I quote, 'Raditz...Kakarot...I want you two to look out for each other. Be there for one another. Care, like brothers should.' Now, I'm the only one who cares about what happens to him. I come and visit him here, every day that I can."

"What about your father?"

Raditz leaned against a wall and slid himself to the ground. "We don't share a common father, just a mother. I don't know what happened to my father, I was too young to notice or really care. His father just flat out abandoned him. He won't take a second glance at me either. He doesn't care. I'm the only one Kakarot's got left. I'm the only one who will take care of him or look out for him."

I knelt beside Raditz, leaning my head down toward his face so I could look into his downcast eyes. "I care about him too." I said. "I didn't want him staying locked up under that glass case."

"Neither do I," Raditz said. "It's been my plan to find a place for us to live together as soon as I become of age in a couple of years. Until then, I'm still just a kid and I can't take care of another person, so everyone else says."

"Let me help then," I say. "Prince Vegeta won't turn me down, he can stay with me and we can raise him together."

Raditz remained silent for a while, stroking Goku's hair. "I think I'd like that," he said quietly. He cuddled his brother a little longer before getting up and looking at the sun. "We should probably get back to the palace. Vegeta will be awake soon. He'll probably want to see you."

It was just unbelievable how dramatic the change was in Raditz. He was so kind, so full of love and concern for his sibling. He held Goku so gently, walked so carefully. He...he tripped and fell right on his face.

"You Idiot! Where's Goku?" I screamed as I pulled him up. I expected the baby to be hurt, crying maybe even fatally injured where Raditz's body had been, but I found nothing. When I looked back at Raditz, he held a laughing Goku in his arms. His face as splotchy red with some blood creeping out of one corner of his mouth, but Goku was unharmed and seemed to be loving the fact that his brother couldn't walk a straight line without losing track of where his feet where.

"Well, I think I'll make a great parent! What do you think?"

"I think you'd make a great entertainer for children; that doesn't make you a parent. Now, give Goku to me before you hurt him with one of your klutz attacks."

"Goku? Is that what you've been calling him?"

I took Goku in my hands and nodded at Raditz. "Yep. He happens to like that name, by the way."

"He does not!"

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

"Prove it."

Raditz stepped in front of me and stooped down to Goku's eye level. "Kakarot," he said to his sibling. "I like that name Kakarot, do you like that name? It's a pretty name..."

'_What's he doing?_' Goku asked as he tilted his head to look up at me. '_Can't you tell him I don't like being called that?_'

'_I'm trying,_' I replied. I placed my hand over Raditz's face and pushed him away from Goku's face as the poor baby started scrunching up his cute little angel face. "You're scaring him! Cut it out!"

Raditz fell backwards on his rump and Goku began to giggle. "Ah-HA! There! You see? He likes the name Kakarot! I win!"

"He likes to see you hurt yourself, not being called Kakarot," I reply. I stepped over him and began walking back towards the palace.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I'll bet you dinner that when he learns to talk, he'll tell us he likes the name Kakarot better then the name Goku."

"You're on." He held out his hand and with my free one we shook on it.

"My, it's early for you children to be outside. What were you two doing?"

Both of us jumped from the voice and spun around to see who it was. I was surprised to see it wasn't a Saiyan that had snuck up on us.

His body was short, only about two feet taller then me. Down his cheeks, arms and legs was pink striped skin and wherever else it was either purple, white or a pale, pale rose color. Out from his head sprouted two large pointed horns that where as black as his dark lips. But the thing that seemed to stand out against him and all that surrounded him, was his eyes. I'd never forget them.

They were a blood-ruby red color and seemed to burn into your soul. They were as hot as fire, yet they were set in such a cold glare that even ice would be like a sauna in comparison.

"Lord Frieza!" said Raditz, falling to his knees and bowing his head. Frieza glanced at him and smiled, then turned to me and gave a look that clearly said he wanted me to do something. I could only guess that it was to bow before him, but...something told me not to and I decided to follow that voice. I shifted Goku's weight to my other side, away from Frieza so as to shield the baby from his stare, and stared back.

"Who are you?" I asked, deciding now would be a good time to play the part of a naïve and innocent little girl.

"That was going to be my next question after you answered my first," he replied.

"Lord Frieza, please," said Raditz lifting his head. "Allow me to explain; She's been gon-"

"Hush," Frieza said. "She has a mouth, a voice to speak with. Let her explain."

'_She's going to die!_' I heard the though from Raditz's mind, and it shook me a little. Looking down at him, you would've never thought he was panicking on the inside. '_Say you've been gone on a very long mission, very, very, very far away!_'

"Well, this is the first time I've been home in a long while," I say. "I've been gone, working."

"Really? You don't look it. What planet were you on?"

"Ba-Bar-Ru," I state impulsively. "I was working as a slave for their king. My crew included my father, he was taking me out with him just to poke some fun with a couple of Ba-Bear-Rureians. He didn't think they'd get very rough, nor did he think they'd be dirty enough to take me hostage. They killed him and kept me as a slave."

"I see. Tell me, how did you get here? Has the king come and brought you with him?"

"No, I escaped. I waited until the right time, late at night when no one was really paying attention. Snuck out and flew off in one of their ships. Here I am now. "

Frieza stepped up to me and lifted my face to examine it closer. "You're...not like other Saiyans I've seen. Who was your father?"

I pulled away from his hold. "I'm not comfortable with you being that close," I said. "Back off."

"You certainly don't act like you were a slave. But then...Saiayns don't make good slaves, or so I'm told from those that have tried. Isn't that right, little Saiyan?" He nodded his head at Raditz and gave me one last look before stepping past us and walking on his way.

"You're amazing," Raditz said looking up at me with admiration once Frieza was gone. "Where'd all that come from?"

"Get up," I said to Raditz and continued to walk back to the palace.

"That was beautiful Tyme, until you revolted. Do you know what you just did?" Raditz asked as he caught up to me, his voice full of sarcasm.

"No. What did I do? Piss off some dude I don't know and don't care for?"

"You pissed off Frieza! That's who you pissed off! What were you_ thinking_!"

"I was thinking he was a monkey butt, that's what I was thinking."

"You're insane," Raditz said as we stepped through the palace doors. The guards did a double-take at me, but didn't say anything; just looked at each other dumbfounded.

"So what makes Frieza so terrible?" I asked when we'd reached my dorm a while later. I entered and set Goku on the bed where he began to look around and take in all of his new surroundings.

'_It's so big_...'

"Frieza is...powerful, there's no other word for it. And you just don't piss him off Tyme! Especially with my brother in your arms!"

"Well, what's he doing here?" I ask as I began looking for something to dress Goku with. I finally decided a pillow case would be the only thing that would fit him and so striped one of the silk white cases off one of the five pillows I now had.

"We work for him, purging planets to sell to other races for living space, or for stations for his universal empire. Him and the King are always talking."

Finding the seam in the pillow, I broke the thread and began pulling it apart "Purging?" I looked at Raditz questioning this meaning.

"Killing off the inhabitants," he stated simply.

"WHAT!"

"You act surprised."

"You're killing people!"

"Only the races who refuse to join in alliance with Frieza, like us Saiyans are. We work for him and he protects us from harm."

"Harm! Like someone seeking revenge on you for killing their family!"

Raditz shrugged. "Anyone who wants to go to war with us."

"And who, besides the obvious choices, would want to go to war with the Saiyan race?"

"Uh...let's see...The Ba-Bear-Rureians that you mentioned for one!" Raditz said sarcastically. "They are a pure evil race who just want to see things destroyed. And by the way, that story you told of them was good, but I think Frieza had a hard time buying it. They usually don't take slaves of other races. They just kill you off!"

"And what do you do when you purge?"

"You think I _want_ to kill those people?"

I stared at him for a bit, the two pieces of clothe forgotten in my lap and covered by my hands. That last sentence seemed to echo for a minute in my mind as I thought of something to say back. Slowly, my lips muttered, "then how can you do it?"

His eyes became glazed though not with sadness, the presence of tears; they just glazed over with a kind of shield, like a barrier to protect the soul within from emotional and mental harm. They seemed empty really, as thought the soul had left the body temporarily, like the onyx eyes had temporarily lost their ability to reflect light back into the world. They just became a black void, sucking but never being filled.

"You don't think..." he whispered, "you just..._do_..."

I decided then that I didn't like Frieza. What he wanted of my friends was taking away their essence, their very being. And I could tell, from when I looked into his eyes, that he knew of this and didn't care. He may have even enjoyed it and thats what really pissed me off.

Raditz blinked and his shield dropped; his eyes returned to normal. My gaze followed him as he made his way to Goku and crawled into the bed beside him. He pulled his sibling into his lap and began to entertain Goku by making silly faces at him and allowing the baby to tug on the hair that dropped over his shoulder.

"So you're just going to take it, and not do anything to change your situation?"

"If we were strong enough," Raditz said, "we might. But that's how strong Frieza is. At first, some of us were reluctant to join Frieza's ranks. They formed a revolt when the king signed the agreement, wouldn't work. Frieza...he killed them all. Made a 'Public Example' of them so we all knew what would happen if we challenged him. No one dares challenge him now. A few Elites and my fellow First Classes will act out every now and again, but nothing to seriously piss him off. Never to his face.

"There's one hope for us," Raditz said as he lifted his head to look at me, eyes shining. "One thing that gives us hope and keeps us pushing forward. The thought that one day, very soon, Frieza will be over-thrown by the Super Saiyan!"

"Super...Saiyan?"

"The most powerful fighter in the entire universe! Once every three thousand years years a warrior of great strength arises from the Saiyans, stronger then all the rest. And this time, everyone knows it's Vegeta. He's just a little boy and look! He surpasses even his own father in power!"

"What does a Super Saiyan look like?" I ask.

Raditz shrugged. "No on really knows. Three thousand years? I doubt you're going to find a Saiyan that old. But legends say that he glows like the sun in his greatest and he can't fully control his power."

Can control his power...this was suppose to be a savior? Maybe I wasn't the one who was insane. But then something hit me: What if _I_ was this legendary warrior? It happened only once before, mainly because since then I've monitored myself heavily, but the fact stands that it still happened...

I was training, like I normally did on nights when sleep never came. It was shortly after my mother's death; the nightmares had gotten worse without her. Because they disrupted my sleep, I was usually very irritable to begin with. That day was no different.

The training wasn't giving the results that I wanted, which was really start to piss me off. I was angry at my mother for dying, she could've helped me if she hadn't, angry at myself for being flawed and for letting her die to begin with. '_I could've gotten her help when I knew that she needed it,_' I told myself. I knew I could've saved her if I'd just go to get help, found another Saiyan, someone to help take care of her. Of course, doing so would require me to disobey her, and I became mad at myself for being so obedient and not thinking for myself. I felt like nothing I ever did would be right. The more angry I was the restless I became. I tried sparring with myself, but I just felt that I was even doing this wrong.

Something snapped.

I couldn't move, I was barely aware of my own voice screaming. All I could really focus in on was the pain that convulsed through every nerve in my body. There was a struggle inside myself, I was fighting someone else for the right to have my body almost. Only, between us was this wall that up until that point had been unbreakable. Now it was crumbling beneath the other's unbelievable power and there was hardly a thing I could do to stop them.

In a flash of light, golden-yellow light that was brighter then the sun's, they arrived and took control. The pain stopped. I fell into darkness. I don't remember anything but lying in a black void and wondering if I really existed after that.

By the time I did come around I honestly don't know how much time had pasted. The sun was about to set, so at the very least I had been on a power bing for at least a little under 24 hours.

All the woods around me had been totaled. It was a large crater of devastation. I was lying dead center in it and I had to conclude that this had been caused by my lack of control.

So did that make me the legendary Super Saiyan?

"Is the Super Saiyan always a boy?" I asked, dreading the answer. If it was yes, then maybe I didn't have to worry. If no, then I was most probably some chosen hero freak. Either way, I don't think this would be something that everyone needed to know about just yet.

Raditz burst out laughing. His armband slid a little ways down his forearm and he pushed it back up when he settled to giggles. "Of course the Super Saiyan will be male," he said simply. "Did you honestly think females are good for anything more then reproduction?"

I was then reminded of who I was really talking to and that Raditz was an asshole. In a flash, I had picked him up and hurtled him all the way across the room.

"Of course, some females would make wonderful teachers for our younger, less battle experienced males!" he said just as I lifted him up into the air and was preparing another strike.

"I don't need to teach you to fight better," I said. I dropped him deciding he wasn't worth the energy. "You just need to learn to keep your mouth shut at the right time, like you did before Frieza."

Raditz gave me an odd look as I returned to comfort a crying Goku. As soon as I had calmed him down, I turned back to making his outfit. I ripped two length wise strips form one of the sheets and a hole in the other.

"What are you doing?" asked Raditz as he looked up at me.

I slipped the silk sheet with a hole in it over Goku's head and used one of the strips like a sash around his waist. "Dressing the baby," I said in a sing-song kind of voice. "Yeah, cuz the baby needs to be dressed, huh? The baby needs to be dressed." I folded the other sheet several times until it was in a triangle, laid Goku's rump on it and wrapped it around him like a diaper, using the other sash to hold that in place as well. "There!" I said when done, sitting him up for Raditz to see. "Isn't he just the cutest thing you ever saw?"

But Raditz didn't have time to answer as there came a single knock on the door before they swished open for Nappa to enter. "Tyme, Prince Vegeta has sent for you. He wishes to see you down the the training room as soon as possible. Get yourself ready and I'll lead you there."

"Hello Nappa. I've been just fine, thank you for asking," said Raditz. "And how have you been? The wife and kids?"

"That's very funny Raditz," Nappa shot at the boy. "Real cute. C'mon, we don't have all day. The prince said now, and he meant it."

I got to my feet, cradling Goku in my arms. "Let's go then."

"But-" Nappa started then seemed a little lost at to what to say.

"But what? If we're in a hurry and Prince Vegeta is waiting on us, I think the best thing we can do is move out, hmm?"

"Well, you're not dressed."

"What do you mean?" I asked as I looked down at my leather hide outfit. "I am dressed."

"So you're just going to go down and meet the prince looking like..._that_."

"If you are expecting me to put on the ridiculous clothing you're wearing, you, my friend, are sadly mistaken. Now, lead the way to wherever it is that we're going because I certainly don't know where Vegeta is."

With a shake of his head and a sigh, Nappa headed out of my dorm followed closely by Raditz and myself.

"Our clothing isn't really that funny looking," Raditz whispered to me. "Is it?"

"You look like idiots with those shoulder pads," I whispered back. "And the clothe is stretched so tight over your body, I can see all your details." Raditz's face flushed a bright red.

Nappa stopped at a door and opened it. He waved his had toward the entrance and bowed a little to say "ladies first," then followed in after me and Raditz. Vegeta was sitting on a bench in the middle of the room wiping off his face with a towel. When he saw me out of the corner of his eye, he smiled just quick enough for only me to see before putting on his mask again. Standing up he made his way over to me and declared, "we need to test you!"

"Test me," I blurted out. "For what!"

"Your powerlevel," Vegeta replied. "We need to know what class of fighter you are."

"But I'm-" I stuttered. "I'm not a fighter. I've had some simple training, but I've never fought with anyone. You can't be serious..." I handed Goku to Raditz as Vegeta tugged on my free hand to get me to follow him.

"You'll do fine, I promise I won't let them make it too hard for you," Vegeta said. "If you want, I'll even let you spar with me while they grade you!"

"That'll make her look too weak Vegeta," Nappa said. "She'll be classified as a third class if matched up against you. It won't be fair." The prince stuck out his tongue at Nappa.

"Really Vegeta," I whispered into the prince's ear when we were far enough away from anyone else, and that included two other beings who weren't Saiyans. "Don't make me do this, fight full force. I don't want too."

"Why not?" he whispered back. "It will be fun! You will like it!"

"No, I won't. Just please, don't let this happen?"

"You will at least spar with me then? Like you and I did in the woods? Is that okay?"

I didn't want to let him see me, if I was this Super Saiyan thing. Not until I knew for sure, not until I was in total control and there was no danger of me attacking him. Hurting him. Killing him. I had to protect him from myself. But there was no threat of me hurting him if we were just playing, right?

I looked around at the others standing by, watching us. At the room we were in, which didn't seem like a good place to spar. Vegeta turned to the side and waved at the two non-Saiyans who were sitting at a control panel of some sort. One of them pushed a few buttons and a door opened up before us. Vegeta stepped inside and tugged at my hand to try and coax me in with him.

Trusting in those dark onyx eyes that promised me nothing bad would happen, I stepped cautiously into the drill room and left the others behind on the other side.

**End Chapter 5!**


	7. Power Struggle

**Alternate Timeline**

**Book one: The Saga Begins**

**Chapter 6: Power Struggle**

"You're not using your full power!"

"I am too!"

Vegeta growled at me. We both knew he was right from our first sparring match the other day. He swung around the room at rocket speed and slammed into my back, hurtling me to the ground. Before I could get back up he had me pinned, one hand behind my back and the other above my head.

"Talk," he demanded. "What is holding you back?"

"You are," I growl at him in Katkritten, our secret language. "Get off of me."

"Be serious."

"I don't want to."

"Too bad."

For a moment, I allowed my stubborn behavior trait to work it's magic and didn't reply. Vegeta's tail cracked like a whip every now and again from being made to wait for my answer, a clear sign that the was probably losing patience.

"You realize you'll eventually have to say something," he told me calmly.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," I stated back. Though he was right, again. I didn't like having my face held down on this dirty floor and Vegeta sitting on my back. He was practically tempting me to push myself. Truthfully, I was about to take the bait...

'_This is when your power is the most dangerous_,' I heard a tiny voice in the back of my head. '_Someone could really get hurt if you cut loose; I don't think it's a wise move to make..._'

Vegeta released me and got up. "Fine," he said, his back turned to me as he began walking away. "Be like that, loser."

It was almost like their was a click inside me after he said those words, and I wasn't me anymore. I was me, I remember it happening, but I wasn't the one who was in control.

In a flash I had Vegeta around the neck with both hands and slammed up against a wall. "Did you say something, little guy?" I hissed at him. He stared back, gripping either of my wrists with his own hands and struggling to break the hold I had on him. On the inside, the fire of hate was subsided for one tiny moment by the tiny emotion of caring that was creeping up. The grip lessened and allowed Vegeta a breath.

"Tyme," he uttered, just loud enough for me to hear. My grip lessened more. What was I doing! He couldn't breathe!

I let go of his neck and caught him as he slid down from the wall. On the ground I held him in my arms as he rubbed his neck and took deep breathes. The door opened after that and Nappa ran in looking dead set on killing me.

"Don't Nappa," Vegeta ordered as he sat up slowly. "She didn't...mean to be...that rough...I'm okay...just off guard..."

I threw myself on the prince's chest and cried. I couldn't help it, I'd nearly killed him! "I'm sorry!" I sobbed pathetically. "Oh Vegeta, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be," he said pushing me off. He whipped at my wet cheek with the back of his gloved hand. "In a couple more seconds I'd have broken free and knocked you back anyways. It's nothing to cry over, so don't." Vegeta got to his feet and held out a hand to help me up.

Nappa seemed to think I did TOO well; if looks could kill...I bowed my head and wrapped my tail over my thigh and between my legs, pushed myself up so as not to threaten Nappa anymore then he must've felt. Using the universal language of the body, I gave an air of weakness that would hopefully soften Nappa's feelings as I physically bent to his will of backing off.

"What are you doing?" Vegeta's voice asked. His hand grabbed my chin and pushed it up so that my eyes were just a tad bit higher then his. "You should be proud, you did very well in you fight against me! Surly you will rank as a high class warrior! Hold your head up Tyme, do not let me ever catch you bowing it shamefully. Stand up tall and hold your body proudly. You are a Saiyan and we are full of pride, not shame." He let go of my chin and smirked at me, the closest thing to a smile he'd put on his face in the presence of other Saiyans. I wondered briefly why he wouldn't treat me the same way as he did Nappa or Raditz...

"Come," he said as he turned to leave. "I want to see what you scored on your test. Maybe we can go on some missions together if you're strong enough." He lead the way back out and I followed behind, careful to keep Nappa in my sights and not at my back.

The first thing I noticed was Goku's smiling face and him reaching for me. I smiled back and held out my hands for him. Raditz shifted the baby in his arms, reluctant to give him over. He bit his lower lip a bit, trying to distract Goku from me but the baby persisted. Eventually, he slowly handed him over to me.

"What do you mean she's a Level 10!" Vegeta cried. "No Saiyan has ever been that low! You saw how she fought! Our 3rd and 4th class warriors mop the floor with 10th levels!"

"Sir, that's is what the data shows. The scanners all conclude that she was fighting with a powerlevel no higher then three. Even when she braced you against the wall, it still hadn't changed."

"She couldn't have fought the way she did if her powerlevel was three! How do you explain that?"

"Prince Vegeta...we can't, your highness."

Vegeta glanced at me, pleading to understand. Truth was, what the two non-Saiyans were saying surprised even me. I didn't know my powerlevel had stayed the same throughout the fight. I would've sworn that it hadn't, especially when I pinned Vegeta. I was just as dumbfounded as he was. I turned back to Raditz and noted the worried look on his face.

"We could...retest her with the Sibamen, Prince Vegeta..."

"No," the Saiyan prince replied. "Not today. I think that's enough for now. We'll try her again after some time has passed. Tyme, have you eaten anything?"

I shook my head and realized my stomach was craving food for the first time that day. But it was only for a minute as Goku grabbed my arm with his chubby little baby hands and giggled at me. I smiled down at him and ruffled his hair as Vegeta spoke to Raditz.

"C'mon," the older boy said to me. He led the way out of the room and down the endless halls. We stopped at a glass door that peered into a large room filled with Saiyans. As always before, the door swished open on it's own allowing us access. The smell of food and drink hit hard as I stepped in behind Raditz, my stomach gave a loud growl. A few Saiyans glanced over to see who had entered, some eyes lingered while other's quickly turned back to whatever conversation they were having as they dismissed us as unimportant. Raditz led the way through the mass of Saiyans to a table in the back, where he sat down and I followed his movements, setting Goku in my lap.

"Pick out what you want," he said as he slid a folded over piece of paper with neat markings adorning every inch of it. I looked down and studied the paper, but couldn't decipher it. My mother had taught me how to read and write in Katkritten, not Saiyan. I pointed to the first thing written on it and showed Raditz. I didn't care what it was, just so long as it was edible.

The Saiyan boy looked down and read what I wrote then looked up at me with one eyebrow raised. "Appetizer? That's it? Is there a specific one or do you want to try them all? There's only three, ya know." I blinked innocently; I didn't know what an appetizer was.

A non-Saiyan approached and Raditz tapped his scouter looking up at her as she asked a question I didn't understand. He replied. She repeated what he told her and Raditz glanced at me, before adding to his list. She checked the order over one more time then smiled, babbled in her own home language as she patted Goku on the head before hurrying back to the kitchen.

The table fell into an uncomfortable silence except for Goku's cooing and hand clapping.

'_The itsy-bitsy spider, went up the water spout_,' I sang in Goku's head as made the same hand motions my mother hand made when she taught the song to me. '_Down came the ran and washed the spider out!_'

"What are you doing?" Raditz asked looking over at me.

"Playing with him," I replied casually. '_Out came the sun and dried up all the rain_.'

"People are starting to stare."

'_And the itsy-bitsy spider_..." "Let 'em. What do I care?" '_Climbed up the spout again! Yaaaay! C'mon Goku, you try it now!_'

"Tyme?" Raditz asked halfway through the second round of the nursery song. "Do you have any idea how much you stand out?"

"Hmmm...No," I stated honestly. "Why are you embarrassed to be seen in public with me, or what?"

"Embarrassed, yes. But for myself, no."

I stopped and looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Have you seen yourself compared to most Saiyans? You're...not what most people would expect. In fact, you're almost the exact opposite."

"I'm not most Saiyans Raditz."

"But you are Saiyan."

Goku reached up and clapped his hands in front of my face, trying to master the motions I was showing him. A look of determination was set on his face as I straightened out his fingers and showed him how to touch tip-to-tip. "Indeed," I answered Raditz at last.

"So why stand out so much? Why not at least try to blend in?"

"That's just not the way I was raised Raditz. I just wasn't raised...Saiyan."

"Who's Hungry!" called Vegeta's voice. He pulled out a chair beside me and jumped into it. "I am! Did you already order Raditz?" Nappa sat down across from the prince, where he could see everyone else in the room, more subtly.

The waitress returned after that, carrying several trays of food. She set before me what was certainly more then an measly appetizer. Looking up, a caught a fleeting smile on Raditz's face before he looked down into his tray of food. Vegeta ordered his meal, as did Nappa, and picked off mine while he waited. The prince did most of the talking after that and the time spent there was rather nice.

I'd miss it terribly after everything went wrong.

**End Chapter 6!**


End file.
